Snakes

A surprise visitor on my compost pile - 2004

There are few things that really put a fright into me. 

Actually, there are MANY things that put a fright into me (come to think of it).  But most things I can anticipate and avoid.

However, there is one notable exception that on occasion I have not been able to avoid.  And that exception as you may have guessed is a snake.

Now I'm not one of those people who as soon as they see a snake will get out some blunt instrument and kill it.  That is not me.  In fact I hate to kill any living creature or insect.  Some notable exceptions are flies, mosquitoes and Japanese beetles.  Most other insects I cup up and put outside but I digress. Back to our subject of SNAKES.

See that photo of that "sweetheart" at the top of this blog.  Yep, I took that photo in the spring of 2004 at our former residence in Pennsylvania. 

One fine spring day in 2004 I approached my grass compost pile and lo and behold, there on the top of the pile reposed a snake, sunning itself.  Oh yes, a SNAKE.

Now I don't know what kind of snake it was.  I'm sure somebody reading this blog will tell me, but I suspect it was a harmless king snake.  Harmless to me anyway because they are not poisonous. But hey, they can still bit though can't they?  And that is one thing I have never experienced, nor do I want to experience, is a snake bite.  I can just imagine a snake with its fangs embedded in my arm and me, long body dangling from my outstretched arm as I run, screaming like a little girl for help.  

This was the third time I encountered one of our slithering friends by chance.

The first time was back in 1976 when Bill and I first bought out wooded acreage in Pennsylvania where we built our future house.  Bill pulled up his car in an open field area of our 6.875 acres.  As I lifted my leg to step out of the car, and as my right foot was descending earthbound, I saw a snake just like the one pictured in this blog.  As gravity was irrevocably pulling my doomed foot to the ground ON TOP OF THAT SNAKE, I let out a scream you wouldn't believe.  Hey, I didn't even know I COULD scream.  But scream I did.

Well, I must have scared the daylights out of that snake because it took off like a bat out of hell scared assed snake in the grass and my foot landed safely, snake bit free on the ground.  My heart was racing like Republican politician at a Hillary Clinton fund raiser. I think that snake was more afraid of me than I was of it.

The second time I had a scary encounter with a legless lizard was when I was on a volunteer roadside litter pickup crew.  There I was on that chilly spring morning, picking up trash at the Coatesville interchange when I pick up a hubcap and what did I spy right beneath the hubcap?

Black snake

Oh yes I did.  He (or she) looked at me and I looked back.  Then, very slowly I replaced the hubcap on top of him (or her), just the way I found it.  Thank goodness I didn't scream like a little girl this time.  But my heart was racing like a (well, let's see) former House Speaker Dennis Hastert at a Gay Pride Day March. 

These days few things surprise me.  But I venture to say I probably have a few more surprise encounters with a snake.  Just last week, while I was out in the back yard meandering about, a big black snake slithered down the cement steps to our basement.  This time I wasn't frightened at all.  In fact, I was glad this big black snake was hanging around our house.  I did notice that this past year I didn't have a problem with field mice trying to get into the house.

Snakes are our friends.  I just don't want to step on one.

Snakes

A harmless black snake sunning it self in a driveway

Snakes scare me.  Yes, I have a primordial fear of snakes.  But no, I don't kill a snake on sight.

This past week snakes have been in the dialogue.  My niece, who lives in South Carolina has her big girl panties all in a twist because she saw a snake slither into the crawlspace of her house.  She has seven kids ranging in age from eight to eighteen.  She says she "fears" for them. Oh my goodness niece, get a grip.  

She has sent several Facebook messages about how she has her dog crawling in the crawlspace after the snake.  Of course she wants to kill the snake.  Hey, guess what niece, the snake is more afraid of you than you are of the snake.

A couple of years ago I saw my neighbor come charging out of his house with a shovel.  He found a harmless garden sunning himself in his driveway.  So of course he passed the death sentence on that snake and "shoveled" it to death.  He had to protect his daughter.  

A harmless garter snake I found at Pepper's Nursery while I was shopping for bushes

You know what?  If he had given the snake a chance to warm up that harmless garter snake would have slithered off out of harm's way.

Ariel view of our former Pennsylvania wooded property - snake infested - we survived

Having said all this about snakes, the few times I've encountered a snake they have scared me.  In fact the only time I've ever screamed in my life was back in 1976.  Bill and I had purchased seven acres of wooded land in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Bill drove his car to a clearing in the property.  As I was getting out of the car I almost stepped on a snake.  As my foot was going down I let out a scream that I didn't know I was capable of.  Never in my life had I screamed before (maybe when I was born and was circumcised but I don't remember) now since.  In fact, I've tried to scream (like a little girl) and it just doesn't work.  But did it ever work that day!  Of course the snake quickly slithered off into the woods and no harm was done to me or the snake.  

The garter snake taking off after I took its picture - camera shy

Another time I was on a road cleanup crew.  It was an early spring morning.  As I was picking up the litter at a high traffic crossroads I came across a hubcap.  I picked it up and THERE WAS A SNAKE!  And it had a fancy design on it back so I KNOW it was poisonous.  I didn't scream this time but slowly place the hubcap back on top of that fancy design snake.  I didn't kill it. 

So folks, when you see a snake, don't kill it.  Gather up your cojones and leave it.  Okay?